“Play along TV” describes the act of television viewers playing along with TV shows or interacting with TV shows. Examples of play along TV programs include predicting outcomes of live events, such as predicting the plays watching an NFL telecast, voting for a favorite performance and answering trivia questions about a particular television program. Participation TV programs are able to be run on many types of devices, including cable/satellite set top boxes (via on-screen overlays and using a remote control to make selections), telephones (via calling a specified phone number), computers (via software programs or Web browser-based applications) and SMS, a mobile phone messaging protocol that stands for Short Messaging Service. SMS is a messaging standard integrated into most mobile/cell phones that limits messages to 160 characters. SMS-TV refers to play along TV programs that utilize SMS as a means of submitting entries and/or responses. For example, while watching a telecast of Deal or No Deal, viewers might have the opportunity to participate in The Lucky Case Game. Viewers are asked to accurately guess in which suitcase (numbered one through six) a cash prize is located. Viewers choosing to participate, send an SMS with the number of their case selection to an address, which is an SMS short code, displayed on the TV screen. The contest provider receives the SMS message with the text entered by the participant, along with the participant's mobile phone number, which is automatically included as part of the SMS protocol. If the viewer accurately predicts the correct case, they are entered into a random drawing to win a cash prize. Once the list of potential winners is generated, they are contacted via telephone in order to verify their eligibility. Other examples of play along TV programs include:                Voting for a favorite contestant on a television show like American Idol or a pair of dancers on Dancing with the Stars;        Answering multiple choice questions, which could include trivia, recall questions, or predictions about upcoming events that will take place during the program;        Responding to an opinion poll related to the telecast;        Predicting the outcome of an at bat in a baseball game or the play that will be called in football; or        Solving the mystery on a crime based TV program.        